Date Night.

Last night, Boyfriend and I thought we'd take advantage of one of Sac Town's best happy hours and go to Lucca Restaurant on 16th and J Street (hey look, it's the name of the blog!). Happy hours are great because not only do they discount delicious adult beverages, they usually have tapa-sized plates of the food for a good price.

I love the ambiance of Lucca -- bottle-lined rustic brick walls, shiny wood and wrought iron accents, high top tables, and vivid, colorful art -- and their happy hour lasts till closing on Thursday nights! That's huge for me. Being a nanny means that I'm at work before my bosses leave for their jobs and don't leave until they are home, which is often too late for the typical happy hour. Finding a late, or an all-night happy hour is the only way I get to enjoy it.

The ride! Because of Boyfriend's job, we get to ride in fun cars. Last night's ride was a 2006 Maserati GranSport. Ciao Bella!

The outfit! I live two different lives. One of them revolves around kids, crafts, funny voices, story-times, silly songs, and diapers. The other one starts the moment I come home where I can pour myself a glass of wine, grab a book, and spend a quiet hour in the bath if I want to. One lovely thing about being a nanny is that I get my kid fix, but I get to give the kids back at the end of the day!

When I'm living my home life, I like to dress up and feel cute, mostly because it's hard to feel cute when everything under the sun is sticking to my arms, legs, clothing, and how-did-that-get-there places. Now that it's spring, I'm breaking out my tank tops, but because of the chill I layer them with my 3/4-length blazer from H&M (the stripe accent is my favorite). Heads up girls, my jewelry is from Forever 21. Between the necklace and the earrings, I spent less than $10. I love a good deal!

The location! Lucca has such a great feel about it, even when it is brimming with people and buzzing with conversation. The owners of Lucca also own Lucky Dog Ranch, which supplies all the grass fed, hormone-free meat used in the two five-dollar, half-pound burgers that Boyfriend and I ordered. Can we say deeeeeeelicious (and perfectly priced)?

The drink! I'm normally a wine-sipper. The Happy Hour menu, however, offers some lovely choices for $3.50, so I chose to branch off and order a Raspberry Lemon Drop while Boyfriend ordered a Mojito. I don't think I've ever ordered a pink cocktail in my life. It was so good that as soon as I finished, I promptly ordered another.

Something to keep in mind is that you may have to get there early or be prepared to elbow your way through people to belly up to the bar, but it's worth the wait! Even if you can't make it on a Thursday, definitely check it out; it's delightful!